Side Splashed
by aileejeskar
Summary: Prompt: It's a rainy day and I see you get get side-splashed by a car and I'm laughing so hard until I get hit too. (NaLu)


He shouldn't have laughed. In the back of his head, Natsu could even hear Erza or Lisanna scolding him for taking such profound amusement at the look on the poor stranger's face, but really, how could he not? The poor girl had been so absorbed in her phone that she'd missed the car flying by entirely until the spray from the puddle had completely drenched her. The action itself was rare all on its own, but the sheer look of _confusion_ that decorated the girls dripping cheeks was _priceless_.

She stood there now, arms held a little ways away from her body as she tried to wrap her thoughts around what exactly just happened, looking down at what had been a rather nice looking outfit. All while Natsu was doubled over clutching his stomach and trying not to make it too obvious that he was laughing at her. The girl, however, did seem to realize what was happening, judging by the heat in her cheeks and the rather powerful glare she was sending his way. "It isn't funny!" she yelled from across the street, but it just spurred his laughing fit on a little harder, eyes clenching shut.

Distracted as he was by the sight and her indignant tone, Natsu failed to see the car that was now speeding its way down his side of the street. The water that splashed him was cold and mucky, and his eyes shut instinctively immediately upon impact. For a few seconds, he could only stand there, still doubled over and mouth open in a laugh that had been interrupted by a gasp of air. "What the fuck!" he suddenly yelled, straightening up and glaring at the car that was turning the corner. "Watch where you're going, asshole!" A fist was thrown in the air, and he took a step forward as if to chase after the driver, but the sound of laughter stopped him short.

The girl from before was still there, leaning against a building and laughing like she had just seen the funniest thing in the world. One arm was thrown around her stomach while the other covered her mouth in some vain attempt at hiding her amusement. Natsu glared over at her, yanking his scarf off his neck to wring it out. "Yeah, yeah," he muttered, trying to ignore the blush that had found a home on his cheeks. The girl didn't stop laughing however, and his eyes narrowed in a glare. "Quit laughin'!"

"The look on your face," she managed to gasp between laughs, and though he was definitely irritated at the turn of events, Natsu had to admit that she was rather cute when she was trying not to laugh. "Payback's a bitch, isn't it?!" Natsu rolled his eyes, glancing at the road once before jogging over, scarf tossed over one arm.

When he reached her, she threw her hands up defensively, still giggling behind them. "I'm sorry," she said, voice sounding sincere. "It was just so…ironic." She dissolved into a fit of giggles, and Natsu crossed his arms over his chest, dark eyes narrowing in his best glare. Whoever she was, she seemed rather unperturbed by the look, staring right back at him. "Did you just come over here to stare at me?" she asked, placing her hands on her still dripping hips.

"I was going to snap my scarf at you," Natsu informed her plainly. "But then I thought maybe I should just toss you into the puddle."

Big brown eyes went wide in surprise, and she took a step back. There was a flash of a smirk on his face and he suddenly darted forward, grabbing the girl by her stomach and hoisting her into the air. "Put me down!" she cried, legs flailing in the air as he turned towards the street.

"This is what you get for laughing at me!"

"You laughed at me first!"

Natsu didn't care, twisting his body around to gather momentum before releasing the wriggling body in the direction of the street. He stood with a proud smirk on his face, but it was quickly wiped out when he felt a hand grab a fistful of his shirt, dragging him along. "Oye!" he cried, but the girls grip was firm, and before he could stop it, she had pulled him right along into the puddle. "What the hell?" he yelled when he had landed, ass now soaking in the dirty street puddle. The girl wasn't faring much better, her entire side now dripping with a mix of mud and water. Despite her own state, there was a cocky smirk on her face.

"You deserved it," she told him pointedly, rising to her feet. "Now we're even." He glared right back up at her, but then she held a hand out for him, expression softening just slightly. "You'll catch a cold if you sit there for too long, come on," she said. Natsu's eyes narrowed a little suspiciously, but he took her hand and hoisted himself back onto his feet and onto the dry ground.

As he started to shake himself off a little, a grin came to his face. He felt something like a kid again, jumping in the puddles on his way to school and listening to his brother complain about being splashed. "I'm starving," he said suddenly, rubbing a hand across his stomach. "Wanna get lunch?"

The girl stopped halfway through wringing her own shirt off, a blonde eyebrow raised. "You just threw me in a puddle and now you're asking me to lunch?" she said, reaching up to shake her hair out a little. Natsu shrugged, shoving his hands in his pockets. "I'd rather not sit around in these clothes any longer than I need to. What if they get stained from the mud?" The question was rhetorical, but the girl seemed thoughtful, as if she was actually considering it. "What about tomorrow?"

"I might not be hungry tomorrow."

The retort slipped out of him before he could stop himself, and he felt the girls' hand swat at his arm in response. Natsu laughed a little, amused at how easy it was to rile the girl up. "Dinner, then," he offered. He wasn't really the type to invite strangers out to eat, but the girl had made him smile, and she seemed like the sort of person that'd be fun to hang around. "You know Fairy Tail? The chef is amazing, best in town!"

"I've seen it a few times," the girl said with a small laugh. "I don't even know your name." Natsu grinned a little wider, pleased that she wasn't outright turning him down. "I'm Lucy."

"Natsu."

Lucy smiled, and he glanced away before she could catch him staring at her. Even with a bit of dirt painted across her cheek and nose, she really was very pretty. "Alright Natsu," she said slowly, holding her hand out. "I'll see you tonight." His smile grew, and he grabbed her hand happily in his own, giving it a powerful shake that seemed to catch Lucy off guard. But she laughed, and he felt his heart stumble a little bit at the noise.

Natsu wasn't one to ignore his gut feelings, as they had rarely proven wrong before, and as Lucy turned to leave, he decided that this was the right decision. "See ya' tonight," he called, waving a hand in the air. She turned back towards him and shot him another glance at her pretty smile before rushing off and leaving him to stand on the sidewalk, almost mesmerized.

He might have stood there a while longer, but another car came flying down and the street and managed to kick up what remained of the puddle in another spectacular splash.

"For fucks' sake!"

* * *

 **Words:** 1297

 **Time:** 44 minutes

 **A/N:** hey everyone! so I've recently re-descended into Fairy Tail / NaLu hell and here we are! if you're interested in the other fics I plan on writing, please feel free to check me out on tumblr elieg1ory !


End file.
